By Kim Se-jeong
The security arrangements for President-elect Park Geunhye are as tight as those for the outgoing incumbent head of state, and the need for such provision began on election night.
When Park left her Seoul residence on the night of Dec. 19, to go to the Saenuri Party headquarters and deliver her victory speech, she was escorted by a group of security guards dispatched from the Presidential Secret Service.
A press conference given by Park the following day on Dec.
20 also took place under strict security with 50 some secret service agents checking all electronic devices and video cameras carried by journalists for explosives.
Later that day after the partys election camp disbanded, sniffer dogs were brought in to detect bombs in bags and even flowers purchased for Park.
Special cameras were also set up in a room in advance for this purpose.
Reporters can only gain access to Park when they wear armbands permitting coverage, though they were previously allowed to approach her without restriction.
The secret service team travels with the president-elect. So do the security scanners. One is located outside Parks office in the party building. However, it annoys many people because a security agent stops everyone, regardless of who they are, trying to enter the room.
Parks residence and her neighborhood are also under round-the-clock surveillance. She stays in her private home in Samsung-dong, not a residence specially prepared for a president- elect, where nearly 200 policemen are currently stationed.
Its customary that the incumbent presidential office shares their secret service resources with the president-elect.
One government official with knowledge of its operation said agents sent to protect a new leader-to-be go through a highly competitive selection process.
The security team has been put on high alert since Park began visiting the homes of ordinary people including a house lived in by an underprivileged family in a suburban village in Seoul.